Caoutchouc-like substance and process of making same.



UNITED STATES PATENT orFIoE.

FRITZ HOFMANN, CARL GOUTELLE. KONRAD DELBRNCK, AND KURTMEISENBURG, OF ELBERFELD, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS '1 0 FARBENFABRIKEN VORM. FRIEDR. BAYER & 00., 0F ELBERFELD, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

CAOU'IGHOUC-LIKE.SUBSTANCE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRITZ HOFMANN, CARL COUTELLE, KoNRAD Damnation, and KURT MEISENBURG, doctors of philosophy, chemists, citizens of the German Empire, residing at Elberfeld, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in .Caoutchouc-Like Substances and Processes of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

By our earlier applications Ser. Nos. 578607, 578608, 588173, 594095 and 594557 the production of caoutchouc like substances is described, which may replace natural caoutchouc in its chemical and technical application. The processes for their production consist in converting erythrene or its substitution products into caoutchouc like substances.

It has now been found that by using mixtures of the starting materials mentioned in the above applications (erythrene and its substitution products) new caoutchouc-like substances can be, advantageously produced, with properties diiferent from those of the caoutchouc-like substances above referred to. Caoutchouc-like substances can be thus produced of acomposite nature, made up of the.

polymerization products of the mixtures of erythrene hydrocarbons, and containing such products in most intimate intermixture. 'A more nearly homogeneous product and a more intimate intermixture can thus be produced by mixing the hydrocarbons before or during the polymerization reaction than is possible by mixing the individual and isolated caoutchoucs already formed.

The present invention,'which is of general application, is further illustrated by the following specific example of its application. A mixture of 100 parts of alpha-phenylgamma-methylerythrene and 100 parts of cooled erythrene is heated for 6 weeks in an autoclave to 7 0 C. A very tough and elastic substance is thus obtained made up of the caoutchouc-like substance'together with any remaining unchanged hydrocarbons and byproducts. By treatment of this substance with steam such hydrocarbons and volatile by-products, if present, can be removed and the caoutchouc-like substance obtained. The

7 process proceeds in an analogous manner on using agents promoting the'polymerization e. g. acids or acid salts, etc. When such prov Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1913.

Application filed March 20, 1911. Serial N 0. 615,662.

moting agents are used, such as acetic acid, the time required for the completion of the process is appreciably shortened.

' always contained in the natural caoutchouc and play an important part in it with regard to the elasticity of the natural caout chouc. They form ozonids being thick oils,

nitrosites and brom addition products. These ozonids, nitrosites and brom-addition products differ with the different composite caoutchouc products, and correspond to these different products, and thus indirectly to the particular mixtures of hydrocarbons of which the composite caoutchoucs are polymerization products. Thus the product produced as above described from a mixture of alpha phenyl gamma-methyherythrene and erythrene forms an ozonid, ormixture of ozonids, which upon decomposition with water yields-a mixture of oxygen-containing decomposition products among which succinic aldehyde and alpha-phenyl-levulinic aldehyde are found.

We claim l. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises polymerizing a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons.

2. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises heating a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons until a caoutchouc-like product results insoluble in.

acetone.

3. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which'comprises polymerizing a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons in the presence of an agent promoting the polymerization. 1

4. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises polymerizing a mixtureof erythrenehydrocarbons in the presence of an agent of acid reaction.

5. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises heating a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons in the presence of an agent promoting the polymerization until a caoutchouc-like product results insoluble in acetone. 1

6. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises heating a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons in the presence of an agent of acid reaction until a caoutchouc-like product results insoluble in acetone.

7. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises polymerizing a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons comprising a phenyl-substituted erythrene.

8. The process of producing a caoutchouclike substance which comprises polymerizing a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons comprising erythrene and a phenyl-substituted erythrene.

9. As a new product a caoutchouc-like polymerization pro-duct of a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons.

10. As a new product a caoutchouc-like polymerization product of 'a mixture of erythrene hydrocarbons including a phenylsubstituted erythrene, which product forms a nitrosite, ozonid and brom-addition product, the ozonid upon decomposition with water yielding a plurality of oxygen-con- FRITZ HOFMANN. .[L.'s.]

CARL COUTELLE. [1 st] KONRAD DELBRUOK. 1. 5;]

KURT MEISENBURG. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

ALFRED HENKEL,

A. POSEN. 

